Metroidvania games, like the interstellar sci-fi title Castlevania, Metroidvania games are action-adventure games that primarily feature non-linear narrative and ability-gated progression and exploration.
Metroidvanias are designed to appeal more to veteran gamers as these offer little clues on how to progress in the game in order to encourage players to explore the world. Gamers on Reddit have picked out some of the most challenging titles among the vast sea of Metroidvania games.
La-Mulana
La-Mulana is an indie platformer that puts the spotlight on a tomb adventurer who needs to explore an ancient ruin and find the "Secret Treasure of Life". While there's only one true ending in La-Mulana, it can take a while to finish the game as it doesn't offer any directions on where to go, but does provide the player with many powerups.
The game manages to amp up the difficulty by inserting hidden traps and several dead ends. Reddit idlistella also says that La-Mulana has "especially difficult puzzles", so gamers should write down notes as they play.
Rabi-Ribi
Developed by game studio CreSpirit, Rabi-Ribi is a Metroidvania platformer that blends RPG elements with shoot-em-up gameplay. In the game, the rabbit-turned-human protagonist needs to survive a world with dangerous creatures by wielding a powerful hammer. Players will also have to find the secret areas and hidden items in the 2D platformer to return to their previous form.
Redditor awkwardbirb notes that while the game can be set on easy for players unfamiliar with the Metroidvania genre, experienced gamers can scale up the difficulty and "make the game as ridiculous as possible."
Aeterna Noctis
Aeterna Noctis is a 2D Metroidvania that's most known for its harsh battles and tedious platforming sections. In Aeterna Noctis, players assume the role of the King of Darkness and must do what they can to unite a divided universe by pleasing Chaos, the supreme god.
similar Metroidvanias like Salt and Sanctuary and Foregone.
Destroy Space Aliens
Destroy Space Aliens is a Metroidvania game from developer Flying Fire, LLC. The game might not strictly fit in the Metroidvania genre at the start, but as gamers progress in Destroy Space Aliens, they'll find that the game slowly shapes up to be one of the most challenging Metroidvanias.
In the game, players are treated to a sidescrolling adventure where they need to slash and blast evil aliens. In a Reddit thread, xiipaoc its that they quit playing the Metroidvania as they found the game's final boss to be "unreasonably difficult".
Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia
The third Castlevania game released for the Nintendo DS, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is a platformer that focuses on Shanoa, a glyph master who seeks to destroy Dracula after the mysterious vanishing of the famous Belmont Clan. Shanoa is considered by many gamers as one of the best female characters on the Nintendo DS.
According to Reddit vivir66, Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia is the "hardest Castlevania" title that fits in the Metroidvania genre. But despite the game's high difficulty level, it also has excellent role-playing elements to keep gamers hooked.
Hollow Knight
Not many gamers will it that the bosses in Hollow Knight and uncover its many secrets. The Metroidvania platformer from Team Cherry is beloved by many gamers for its immersive narrative, eerie atmosphere, and beautiful art style.
However, it can take plenty of tries to overcome some of the game's strongest bosses, like Nightmare King Grimm, as well as get through arduous platforming sequences such as the Path of Pain. Redditor B_A_Peach adds that if gamers can "ascend the Pantheon of Hallownest in Hollow Knight", they can do anything.
Cathedral
Cathedral is one of the most tedious Metroidvania games as players need to explore a massive world with more than 600 rooms full of hidden items, dungeons, and secrets. During their journey, players can find map fragments that can help them explore the vast world of Cathedral.
At the start of the game, players might think that Cathedral is not a terribly difficult Metroidvania as it can be fun to solve the puzzles and work their way around. However, Redditor xiipaoc points out that it can get "too bad" once players get near the end of the game, as they'll do tons of "grinding" and face formidable bosses.
Valdis Story
In the exploration platformer Valdis Story, players get to explore the ruins of a lost holy city and face terrifying threats such as demons and angels. Developed by indie game studio Endless Fluff, Valdis Story is a Metroidvania game with an immersive soundtrack, a gameplay that seamlessly combines sorcery and sword fighting, and an engrossing narrative.
Despite the game's many positive aspects, some gamers found Valdis Story to be extremely difficult. On Reddit, Typo_of_the_Dad explains that Valdis Story's most challenging elements are its "bosses", and players are encouraged to beat the bosses as they drop helpful stat bonuses.
Blasphemous
Spain-based developer The Game Kitchen's Blasphemous is a Metroidvania game that's littered with religious and cultural references, mysterious cutscenes, and thrilling platforming segments. The main character of the game is a sword-wielding knight named the Penitent One. If the Penitent One falls in a bottomless pit or touches spikes, the player will die and respawn at a checkpoint.
equally challenging games like Dark Souls.
Bloodstained: Ritual Of The Night
Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night is a side-scroller Metroidvania by sole developer Koji Igarashi. In the game, players assume control of an orphan named Miriam who's on a mission to overturn a horrible curse. But in order to succeed in her mission, Miriam must traverse a demon-filled castle and beat its monsters.
The game received praise for being a true Metroidvania game and having an interesting lore players can get lost in. However, some gamers found the game to be punishing, as No-Daikon-7168 notes on Reddit that the game is only " is fun and challenging if you are a masochist".